Report on Freetown's controversial ex-building inspector to be public soon

FREETOWN — Findings from a three-month independent investigation into embattled former Building Inspector Paul Bourgeois could be in the hands of residents and business owners in about two weeks, officials said Monday night.

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By DEREK VITAL

southcoasttoday.com

By DEREK VITAL

Posted Aug. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 27, 2013 at 5:53 AM

By DEREK VITAL

Posted Aug. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 27, 2013 at 5:53 AM

» Social News

FREETOWN — Findings from a three-month independent investigation into embattled former Building Inspector Paul Bourgeois could be in the hands of residents and business owners in about two weeks, officials said Monday night.

In a related move, the board appointed Mary Catherine McNeil, who most recently served as Seekonk's building commissioner, to succeed Bourgeois, who officially retired Aug. 4. He left the post in late June but used accrued vacation time prior to his formal retirement date.

Selectmen had announced in mid-July that the investigation showed "absolutely no criminal activity" involving Bourgeois. Late last week, the town received the actual 655-page document from private investigator Kenneth Harrison; it includes interviews with various people who had dealings with Bourgeois during his 20-plus years on the job. Bourgeois himself was also questioned.

In reviewing the report, officials discovered that the report included personal information such as Social Security numbers, so the document was returned to Harrison to be cleaned up. It is expected to take two weeks to complete this process, officials said.

"We made copies and then found things that needed to be redacted," said selectmen Chairman Paul Sadeck during a meeting of the board Monday night.

"It is in the process of being redacted by the investigator."

Selectman Lee Baumgartner filed a motion to release the report to the public pending the removal of all items they are lawfully required to remove. The motion passed 2-0; Lisa Pacheco, the board's third member, did not attend Monday's meeting.

Town Administrator Richard Brown said officials want to break down the report into manageable segments and post the information on the town's website.

Despite the board's previous statement that there had been no criminal activity, Bullock Road resident Charles Moss requested that the town send the information obtained in the investigation to the Attorney General's office to determine if anything illegal took place.

Officials reiterated that Bourgeois, who drew the ire of numerous residents and business owners who said they were unfairly treated, didn't do anything criminal.

"There was nothing orchestrated, nothing directed in this report," said Baumgartner. "It is what it is."

In appointing McNeil from a field of about 20 applicants, the board noted that prior to serving as building commissioner in Seekonk, she had held the same post in Randolph from 1996 to 2009.

A resident of Carver, McNeil currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Massachusetts Building Officials Association. She holds a bachelor's degree from Regis College and a master's in public administration from Suffolk University. Her first day on the job is scheduled to be Sept. 9.

Her salary was not available Monday night but Bourgeois was making about $75,000 annually at the time of his retirement.